4.5 The end of Rome

• History
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 1

4. The Time of Greeks and Romans

4.5: The end of the Western Roman Empire

What you will learn in 

this lesson

• Why the 1st and 2nd century AD were called the Pax Romana
• Which Germanic tribes attacked the Roman empire and why
• Who the Huns were
• How Diocletian tried to save the empire
• that the empire was split in two parts, each with its own capital.
• That Rome was sacked by 3 barbarian tribes in the 5th century AD
• Why AD 476 marks the end of the Western Roman Empire
• What happpened with the Eastern Roman Empire.

click here for Wrts word list of this lesson

Which question(s) would you like to be discussed in class when we check this lesson?

soldier emperors

Between 27 BC and AD 180 the Roman Empire was mostly peaceful and prosperous. This period is known as the “Pax Romana”, the Roman Peace. There were no real barbarian threats from outside the empire. This changed in AD 190.

From about AD 190, barbarian tribes such as the 

Goths and the Vandals started to raid the Empire. They came from the north, Germania, looking for better farmland and land with a warmer climate. This came at a time when Rome had weak leadership. Roman legions in the provinces sometimes chose their own general as a new emperor. Of course they hoped to be rewarded once their general was an emperor. Between AD 211 and AD 284 there were 23 of these so-called “soldier-emperors”; twenty of them were killed by their rivals. 

1. The Goths and the Vandals were seen as barbarians by the Romans

1. true
2. false

2. The Goths and the Vandals were Germanic tribes.

1. true
2. false

3. "Soldier emperors" were:

1. emperors who used to be soldiers
2. emperors who had fought wars with their soldiers
3. generals who were made emperor by their soldiers
4. emperors who were also generals

4. Why were "soldier emperors" bad leaders?

The Huns 

From about AD 270 a new group of barbarians, the Huns, began to attack. 

The Huns were nomads from central Asia, with vast herds of cattle and sheep. They were fierce warriors, and fought in a different way. Their soldiers were mounted archers, who moved fast and fired on the gallop with great accuracy. 

Even the Germanic tribes were afraid of the Huns.

They were such a threat that the Romans even allowed the barbarian Visigoths and Vandals to come into the Roman Empire, as long as they helped the Roman army to fight against the Huns.

You may have heard about the leader of the Huns: Attila

Click here to find out more about this ruthless conqueror.

Roman legionaries, together with Vandals and Visigoths (bottom right), try to stop the invading Hun warriors

5. Does the saying "my enemy's enemy is my friend" apply here? Explain.

A

Study this map 

closely so you

get a good

idea where the 

barbarian tribes 

came from and 

where they

went.

A fresh start

In AD 286 a new emperor, Diocletian, decided to take a radical step to save the Empire. Its large size made the empire hard to defend. The population was falling and not enough men were joining the army. 

Prices were rising rapidly and there were food shortages. Diocletian divided the Empire into two parts, hoping this would make it easier to govern. He decided to build better defences against the barbarians and pay the army more and regularly, to encourage more men to join. 

However, the taxes he needed to raise to pay for all this made the problem of rising prices worse, so people suffered.

Picture: emperor Diocletian 

6. List three problems that Diocletian faced
when he became emperor

7. How did Diocletian try to solve some of these problems?

Constantinople

The emperor Constantine, (who became a Christian, see lesson 5) made the splitting of the empire in a western and an eastern part even more clear. He built a new capital city in the east and named it after himself: Constantinople (= city of Constantine) in AD 330.

Rome remained the capital city of the western empire. 

Look at the map to see the division of the empire.

Click to enlarge

8. What is today's name of Constantinople?

1. Istanbul
2. Ankara
3. Constantinople
4. Bagdad

The fall of Rome 

Alaric, the leader of the Visigoths, invaded Italy three times between AD 401 and AD 410. In AD 410 he captured Rome and, for three days, his soldiers looted the city. 

The Western Empire was falling apart. Britain was lost, and soon after most of North Africa, Gaul and Spain. 

Next, the Vandals invaded Italy and looted and burned Rome in AD 455. Finally, in AD 476 Odovacar, leader of the Ostrogoths, attacked Rome and threw the last emperor of the West out of power. 

Historians use this date, AD 476, to mark the official end of the Western Roman Empire.

The Eastern Roman Empire survived and continued under a new name: The Byzantine Empire

 

9. Why do historians use AD 476 as an "official" end of the Western Roman Empire?

Source A

The Huns are completely untrustworthy about keeping a truce. They are blown by the slightest breeze of new events and are committed to total violence. Like mindless animals, they have no idea of the difference between right and wrong. When negotiating they are ambiguous and dishonest. 

They respect no religious beliefs. Gold drives them wild with greed. They are so unpredictable and easily made angry that they can fall out with friends several times in a day. 

 

Written by Ammianus Marcellinius, a 

Roman soldier and historian in about AD 378. 

10a. What type of source is source A?

1. primary + written
2. primary + non-written
3. secondary + written
4. secondary + non-written

10b. Source A gives a description about the Huns.
This description is

1. positive
2. negative

10c. Explain your answer to question 10b.

Copy this in your notebook and fill in the gaps.

Summary Romans 6

The 1st and 2nd century AD are known as the _____________. It was a time of ________ and ____________.

Around 190 AD barbarian tribes, such as the _________ and __________ came from ____________ and invaded the empire. 

At this time Rome had _______ leaders because most emperors were so-called _________________. They were more busy killing their ______ than ruling Rome.

Around AD 270 a new threat came from central Asia: the ________ attacked the Roman empire.

In 284 AD Diocletian split the empire in two parts because its large size made it difficult to _________. Besides, the _____________ was falling so there were not enough men to join the _________. He spent more money on better defenses and better pay for the _________. Of course he needed to raise the ________ to pay for this. And because of the falling population and ________ prices the people _________.

Constantine made a new capital city in the east called: ________________. 

In the 5th century, the Western Roman Empire was falling apart. Rome itself was attacked and looted by the Visigoths (AD ____), the Vandals (AD ___) and finally by the ______ in AD 476. This was the end of the Western Roman Empire.

Word Duty

Romans 6:

• prosperous
• raid
• soldier emperors
• rivals

Don't forget to answer the question in slide 5 !!

congratulations